Pensées showcases cultivated meat production platform and pilot-scale capabilities at AFPRO 2026

Pensées used AFPRO 2026 in Seoul to showcase its cultivated meat technology platform, highlighting its progress toward commercial production of cell-cultivated meat based on Hanwoo cattle cells.

• Pensées exhibited its cultivated meat technology platform, including bioreactors, 3D bioprinters and cell culture media, at AFPRO 2026 in Seoul.
• The company said it has completed prototype development and is operating a pilot production facility to validate commercial viability and support future scale-up.
• Pensées said it is working with food companies and pursuing regulatory approval with South Korea's Ministry of Food and Drug Safety ahead of commercialization.

The South Korean green biotechnology company participated in the 4th Agri & Food Tech Start-up Rising Expo (AFPRO 2026), held July 15-17 at COEX in Seoul, where it presented technologies spanning the cultivated meat production process.

Pensées develops sustainable food technologies focused on addressing climate change and global food security through cell-cultivated foods. The company says its next-generation protein technologies are designed to reduce carbon emissions, resource use and animal welfare concerns associated with conventional livestock production.

At the exhibition, the company displayed its cultivated food solutions alongside bioreactors, 3D bioprinters and cell culture media. It also outlined its cell cultivation techniques and manufacturing processes, which it says are designed to reproduce the taste, texture and nutritional profile of conventional meat.

Pensées has been developing core biotechnology platforms including 3D bioprinting equipment, cell scaffolds and organoid models. Since 2021, the company has focused its research and development efforts on cultivated meat using Hanwoo, the native Korean cattle breed.

According to the company, it has completed prototype development and is now operating a pilot production facility to assess commercial viability while refining its technology for larger-scale manufacturing.

Cultivated meat is produced by growing animal cells to create edible tissue rather than raising and slaughtering livestock. Pensées said the technology has the potential to reduce land use, water consumption and greenhouse gas emissions compared with conventional livestock production.

The company said it is developing proprietary technologies covering cell cultivation, tissue formation and manufacturing processes to improve production efficiency and product consistency. It is also working with food companies while preparing regulatory submissions to South Korea's Ministry of Food and Drug Safety.

A Pensées representative said: "Cell-cultivated food is not merely an alternative to traditional meat, but a future-facing technology essential for building a sustainable food ecosystem."

The representative added: "Our goal is to introduce cell-cultivated food products that consumers can trust and choose with confidence by developing next-generation protein solutions that consider the environment, animal welfare, and food security."

They continued: "We will continuously refine our production technologies and expand our collaborative network to contribute to the popularization of cell-cultivated foods and the establishment of a robust industry ecosystem."

AFPRO 2026 brought together 220 startups, public institutions, corporations, investors and industry organizations under the theme of "Agriculture AI." The event focused on AgTech, FoodTech and GreenBio technologies and was hosted by South Korea's Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.